My first day in Tokyo and I'm already bursting with inspiration! I saw this beautiful woman in a traditional kimono and I had to snap a picture. Women spend so much time just getting into a kimono and everything has to be tied in a specific way. It's just amazing to look at. Seeing the way these women dress immediately inspired me to come up with new ideas for hairstyles and up-dos. I'm sure I will be creating some of these new styles on my clients soon!

I'm boarding a plane from Las Vegas back to Los Angeles after spending the day at Matrix Destination, and I'm bursting with inspiration! I had the incredible opportunity to sit and chat with hairstylists from all over the country and talk about where we all draw inspiration from and how to take runway and editorial looks and translate them into wearable hairstyles for salon clients.  It was such an amazing experience!  I got to sit in on a few of the classes Matrix was offering and they were fantastic.  My personal favorite was the "Inspire Me" class. I loved that they showed examples of inspiration boards and went around the room looking at everyone's boards. I say it all the time....but I am so happy to be on such a great career path. I love that Matrix put together this event for continued education in such a fun environment. I can't wait for the next one.

I can honestly say that today has been the best, most amazing day of my career so far! I always say that I am so blessed because I make a good living by doing what I love to do and that I love being a hairstylist. Well today took those feelings to a whole new level. In this industry, I get to be creative and work with incredibly talented and inspiring people, and today I got to work with the one person I have dreamed about styling with since I became hairstylist. I am always asked, "whose hair are you dying to style?" And my answer is always the same. I just finished a photo shoot with my dream client and it was even more amazing and fun than I could have imagined!!! I wish I could tell you all about it, but I need to keep it all to myself and relish it. All I can say is that dreams really do come true, so keep dreaming! If you're dying to learn who my dream client is, check out the August cover of Elle magazine!

Travel. Travel. Travel.

I'm sitting in the Caesar's Palace casino in Las Vegas working on a print and commercial advertising campaign and just realized I'm going to be living out of a suitcase for the next two weeks! I'm in Vegas for five days, then off to Washington DC for two days. After that I'll be in New York for the Met Ball, a day in the salon, and a photo shoot, and then I'm off to Rome for four days for another advertising campaign. I'm so blessed to work with amazing people who have to travel a lot for their work, which means I get to travel a lot too! I know it sounds glamorous (and it is!) But it's also pretty exhausting and really hard on the body, lugging my 80 pound kit from city to city isn't always a glamorous experience. Not to mention, it is almost impossible to maintain relationships and I'm always apologizing for missing birthday parties and weddings, and I'm sure my dog Theo will completely forget me by the time I get back to LA! But because I travel, I've seen some of the most amazing places on the planet! I have short circuited suites at The Plaza Hotel in Paris with my "all too powerful American blowdryer" and I was once questioned by Mexican Customs Officials about why I was carrying 10 pounds of hair extensions into their country! On the plus side, all the time I spend on airplanes is time to myself where I can read, watch movies, sleep and not have my blackberry go off every five minutes. But like I always say...I am so blessed to have this life; I have a great career and I love every day of my life. Hopefully one day I'll be able to cash in all my frequent flyer miles for a great vacation!

I just finished day one of V To The 10th, which is a huge charity event in New Orleans that was put together by Eve Ensler, the woman who wrote The Vagina Monologues. I came down with my all my friends from the Magnet Agency to work in the V Day Beauty Lounge in the New Orleans Superdome. We were providing women displaced by Hurricane Katrina with haircuts and makeovers. It was a hard, long day but it was so incredibly inspiring. I met dozens of women who lost EVERYTHING in their lives because of a natural disaster and they still had smiles on their faces and the spirit and spunk of a child. Today was such an incredible experience in humility and humanity. My only wish tonight is that each and every one of us takes a moment and thinks about all the things we have in our lives that we take for granted and become thankful for each and every one of them. And, that we all find a way to give just a little to someone who is in need, whether it is a dollar, or a handful of hair products that we don't need....drop them off at a women's shelter in your city. Anyone can make a huge impact on someone's life with such a small gesture. Think of all the things you can do to help out.

I had the incredible opportunity to work with the gorgeous Thandie Newton for the Los Angeles premiere of her new film "Run, Fat Boy, Run." Thandie is a rare creature, because she is breathtakingly beautiful and has an insanely smart sense of humor. I'll just tell you the truth...When I work with Thandie I have to be "ON" at all times because she will challenge me and question me, and when she does, she wants answers. She has a wicked sense of humor that keeps me on my toes!

For her premiere, I originally thought that she should wear her hair down and very full. So, I took Kevin Ryan's new RSessionsTools double iron and created a messy, loose curl in Thandie's hair by taking three-inch sections and spraying them with Vavoom Gold Heat Iron-In Control Protective Dry Mist, and then wrapping her hair through the iron in a figure eight around the heating rods. After each section was set on the iron, I gave it a "pull" so it didn't look too set and stayed loose and "cool." I set all of Thandie's hair this way, and when I was finished, I gave her hair a good shake to make sure it would fall in to place (which it did, of course). I was so happy with this look; it was a young, fresh take on a 70's style.

But then, Thandie decided to wear a different dress to her premiere. She thought that a pink Mathew Williamson frock was the right dress for the Los Angeles premiere, and I agreed with her. Unfortunately, down, full hair did not work with the new dress, so I went into action and gave Thandie a fun, loose side bun. It took about 90 seconds to create and took five pins to secure. I have to say that this is one of my favorite hairstyles that I've created because it happened so organically and Thandie just went with it. When I saw the pictures of her on the red carpet, I could see that she was happy and confident with her hairstyle, and that made me proud.

These are the days that I love being a hairdresser!

I'm in Las Vegas for the ShoWest Festival. It's been a whirlwind since the Oscars and I've been traveling so much. I just shot upcoming covers of L'Officiel and Harper's Bazaar, as well as Makeovers for Us Weekly. I had so much fun doing the makeovers and I loved reading their stories. Check out this week's issue of Us Weekly for all the details and photos.

Get the Look: Amy Adams Oscar Hairstyle

I first applied Biolage Volumizing Whipped Mousse to her damp hair and blow dried with a Spornette Mixed Bristle Round Brush. Then I took 2 inch sections of her hair and sprayed Matrix Vavoom Gold Heat Iron-In Control Protective Dry Mist to the hair and curled each section with a 1 1/4" HAI elite Rod Curling Iron. I secured each curl with a hair clip and let the hair set while Molly did Amy's makeup.

After her makeup was finished, I took out all the hair clips and brushed out the hair. Next, I took some Biolage Molding Soufflé in my hands and raked it through her hair to break up the curl and create some texture. It was a completely modern take on a classic hairstyle. The texture is what kept the hair looking fresh and young throughout the evening.

Visit welovebeauty.com for more info on Amy's look and on my favorite hair accessories.

WHAT A WEEK!

Awards season is over and I am exhausted! I spent 3 days working in the Biolage/Elle magazine spa in Beverly Hills getting all the nominees and presenters for the Independent Spirit Awards and Oscars red carpet ready for the big weekend by showing them the fabulous new collection of Biolage Stylers. It was so fun to work with the Biolage team and meet new clients.

Saturday I worked with Cate Blanchett and got her ready for the Independent Spirit Awards (she won!). While Cate was at the beach for the awards, I ran over to see Amy Adams, who I worked with for the Oscars, to take a look at her dress and design hairstyles that would work with the microphone she would use while performing at the awards. Then raced back to Santa Monica to shoot UK Marie Clare cover with Cate.

Sunday was the Academy Awards and I was so excited! First I went with a client to tape Live with Regis and Kelly in the early morning, then made the almost impossible trek to get to the Renaissance Hotel to get started with Amy. With all the road closures and security checkpoints, the corner of Hollywood and Highland had to be the safest place in the country on Sunday! I saw Amy's gorgeous Proenza Schouler gown and knew she needed modern, glamour hair and that's exactly what I gave her!

Awards Season is here and it's been a crazy ride so far. This weekend is the Independent Spirit Awards and The Academy Awards and I'm so excited! I hope we see lots of the glamour on the red carpets.

I was getting my kit cleaned out in preparation for the big shows and had a laugh when I saw that I was surrounded by hair extensions and sewing kits (for the jewelry in the hair).

This past Saturday I trekked up to Santa Barbara for their film festival where I was working with Cate Blanchett. I've worked with Cate for years, and I have to say that she is THE dream client; she knows her fashion and she is such a risk-taker. With her I've learned to be a risk-taker as well and follow my inspirations and believe in them. Most of the hairstyles I've created on Cate were well received and a few were not, but I stand by them all!

For an evening in Santa Barbara with Cate I had the incredible opportunity to work with the hair ornaments from the Chanel Haute Couture collection; feathers made from gold! Just to hold these pieces in my hands was amazing. When I showed them to Cate, she loved them and wanted to use them, just like I knew she would.

Like I said, I've worked with Cate for years so we never spend too much time analyzing how she should wear her hair, we just decide "up or down" and with the Chanel feathers in my hot hands, we knew the hair had to be up to showcase these pieces of art. Cate has naturally curly hair and I just wanted to enhance that texture, so I mixed the new Biolage Molding Souffle and the Shine Endure Spritz in my hands (yes, I have the new Biolage stylers in my kit, and trust me...they ROCK!) and I mixed the products together and then raked it through Cate's hair. I used a half inch HAI Elite curling iron to define some of her curls. Then I really went to work! I took the hair along Cate's hairline and separated it, then took the rest of her hair and just played, trying to find the right chignon for the look I was craving. When I say I played, I really mean I PLAYED! It is such an amazing feeling to just let go and I became an artist and hair was my medium. I twisted and sculpted her hair until I created a shape that I liked. If asked, I couldn't say if it was a French twist or a bun, it was literally a shape I molded and pinned in to place. Then I brought out the feathers and placed them where I thought they looked best. There were 2 feathers, one large and one small, and I knew I wanted them to touch on one side. When I finally found the right placement, I secured them. These pieces were on combs, but they were very heavy (and VERY expensive) so I wanted to make sure they wouldn't slip out, so I used countless bobby pins to secure them, and just for good measure, I sewed the large feather to Cate's head with a flat tip embroidery needle.

When Cate left for the red carpet that night I was almost unable to form sentences. It had been a while since I felt so proud of a hairstyle I created, and that night Cate had given me the chance to feel like a real artist. I packed my kit and enjoyed a glass of champagne, but knew I still had to travel back to Los Angeles, so I said my goodbyes to everyone. When I walked out of her cottage, I saw that it had started raining and initially thought about running to my car, but instead I decided to let the raindrops fall all over me, and I just laughed! I was so high on a creative level that the rain felt fantastic, and I ended up dancing in that rain. There I was with my huge suitcase full of supplies behind me just dancing and laughing in the rain! It was such a fantastic moment and I'm so glad I let myself take it in and enjoy it, I mean....come on, I'm just a hairdresser from a small town in Florida, but there I was leaving the cottage of Cate Blanchett after sewing CHANEL hair accessories to her head! I can't think of enough words to express how much I love my job!!!

People ask me all the time what inspires the hairstyles I come up with, and I never know how to explain my inspirations. Sometimes I get inspired by the dress a client is wearing to an awards show, and sometimes it could be a song I heard that makes me feel a certain way. Maybe because of the new year, but I am busting out of my skin with inspiration right now!!

Last April I took a long weekend trip to San Francisco with friends. I had been to the city before for work, but I never had the chance to get out and see and experience the city. Of course I spent most of the time there eating because San Francisco has some of the best restaurants in the country, so to work off all the oysters, cheese, and pasta we went hiking in Muir Woods and walked through the gardens of Golden Gate Park. While in the gardens I took a picture of calla lilies that caught my eye, but the photo didn't turn out so good so I kind of just forgot about it. Then over the Holidays I was going through my iphoto library and cleaning out photos that I didn't need to keep and I came across it again. It was actually a sad little picture with dull colors, but I loved the shapes that the flowers created, so I decided to play around with the contrast, brightness, and color (features I never even knew existed on iphoto!) Now, I am , by no means a fine art photographer, but I was quite pleased with my work, so I hit the order print button and a few days later a 20 x 30 inch print arrived at my door. The photo now hangs in my living room in Los Angeles and it has been the greatest source of inspiration for me! It reminds me of a great trip I shared with friends, and the flowers have me constantly finding ways to interpret the shape into a hairstyle. This photo is also a personal inspiration for me, because I took it, and worked on it myself. Now that I'm gearing up for Spring looks, I know I will be putting flowers and colored hair accessories in my clients hair, look for the looks at the award shows this season!

I couldn't think of a better way to start the new year than by going to New York to shoot the new Biolage Styling ad. I was lucky enough to get my hands on the new styling products a few months ago and I LOVE them! It was so much fun to be on set with all the Matrix team and get to know everyone. I think the ad will come out beautifully; I can't wait to see it!

Today I'm working at the Sally Hershberger Downtown salon, and I'm going to be behind the chair cutting hair all day!

Tomorrow I'm off to Los Angeles to do work on a press junket. Sadly, I will not working on Sunday since the Golden Globes have been cancelled. I'm really bummed about missing out on the award shows, they are my favorite thing to do. Its sad that we might miss out on some of the most glamorous nights of the year. Its crazy how the writers strike effects so many people, including us hairstylists, makeup artists and wardrobe stylists who love making our clients look fabulous on the red carpet.